An Overview of Sustainability Applied to Earth Structures

Sustainability is an important aspect of all infrastructure projects, many of which utilize earth structures such as earth dams, levees, and highway fills. Yet sustainable design (SD) of earth structures has not been comprehensively explored. Common sustainability assessment tools were reviewed, and a life cycle analysis framework was proposed, which provides a holistic view of SD for earth structures. In addition to considerations of CO2 and embodied energy, biodiversity and site selection are the most important environmental concerns for earth structures. Fill materials will dominate considerations of natural resources. The use of waste or recycled materials may be beneficial but potential side effects, such as flatter slopes or hazardous byproducts, must not be neglected. Inclusions such as geosynthetics or structural members and water use are other important material considerations. SD of earth structures must acknowledge and understand the tradeoffs between benefits to society as a whole and impacts on local communities. Economic indicators, such as resilience and planning, must also be considered for earth structures. A roadmap for implementation of SD in earth structures is provided, suggesting simple steps that can be applied to all projects as well as in depth considerations for larger earth structures.